


After Three Years

by TheSleeplessWriter



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Catharsis, Corporal Punishment, Discipline, Episode: s03e03 His Last Vow, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Reichenbach, Season/Series 03, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 00:46:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13536096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSleeplessWriter/pseuds/TheSleeplessWriter
Summary: John will always be there for Sherlock when he needs him.





	After Three Years

The three sharp slaps rang throughout the room like gunshot. The petite Molly Hooper shouted at Sherlock, ordering an apology. She had just finished testing whether or not he had been using drugs, and her reaction certainly hinted at the result. John, Mary, and Wiggins watched, waiting to hear his response.

"Sorry your engagement's over, though I'm fairly grateful for the lack of a ring." Sherlock replied in his usual down-putting fashion, rubbing at his reddening cheek. 

"Sherlock." John growled, arms crossed as he glared at his old flat-mate. He spoke volumes with a simple look.

Sherlock's stubborn attitude weakened for just a second when he met John's stormy eyes. He knew that look. He hadn't seen it in years, but it still managed to make his stomach flip-flop and his knees go all wobbly. It was the "I-will-bend-you-over-the-table-and-smack-you-right-now-if-you-don't-behave" look. 

Sherlock wasn't exactly ready to call John's bluff, so he turned his head down to the floor, counting the number of speckles on the white tile.

John turned to his pregnant wife. "They're running a drugs bust at the flat, so I'm going to take him back to our house." 

Mary nodded, a hand ghosting the top of her swollen belly. "Make sure he takes a shower, I feel he hasn't had one in weeks." 

"Er, Mary. I'm afraid we might have a big. loud row-"

She interrupted him, understanding where this was going. "I'll go and grab some breakfast and come back later. I'm starving anyway. 

"You're an angel." He said gratefully,, kissing the side of her head. 

\---

The car ride to John's house was terse and spent in uncomfortable silence. John's fingers gripped the steering wheel so much that his knuckles became stark white. Sherlock breathed a sigh of relief when John's neighborhood rolled into view. It didn't matter how bad it would be when they got inside, it would at least break the insufferable stillness. He absolutely loathed the quiet. 

John held back the urge to slam the car door. The famous old pair walked up to the house and entered. Any second now the explosion would commence; it just needed the catalyst of speech.

"I don't understand it, Sherlock. You've been off the stuff for years, and just now you decide to plunge yourself back into it." John spoke, finally breaking the ugly silence. He was truly trying to remain calm. 

"It was for a case." Sherlock snapped, lanky arms crossed as he strode around the unfamiliar living room. 

"I don't give a toss if it was for a case, this is your own bleedin health and safety!" John sighed, rubbing his eyes. "What if one of the needles was infected, hmm? What if you accidentally took too much? What if the dealer was lying about what he was giving you?"

"Oh, I'm not that careless." Sherlock said, rolling his eyes like a whiny teenager. 

John closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. The old dynamics of their pre-Fall relationship had returned. 

"I somehow doubt this "case" of yours is important enough to risk your life!" John was full-on shouting now. 

"It's none of your business anyway!" Sherlock retorted, grey eyes darkened.

John paused. "Excuse me?" His voice was quieter, but that did not mean he was any less pissed off. 

"You got married and left. I'm not your problem anymore." Sherlock said brusquely, gesturing to himself. 

"I'm not the one who faked their death for two years!" John refused to start thinking about that; he would only become more angry than necessary. 

This shut Sherlock up for a few seconds before he shouted. "I don't see why the hell you care so much!" 

John quietly repeated Sherlock's statement, as if he didn't understand it the first time. He didn't have any sort of plan when he reached forward and grabbed Sherlock's bicep. It all fell into place when he instinctively hauled him towards the cream-colored sofa. In one fluid motion, John seated himself and placed Sherlock over his knee. 

It had been three years since they'd gone through this familiar routine. 

John did not allow for a second of adjustment or waiting, instead he launched directly into the spanking. His hand repeatedly fell down rapid-fire upon Sherlock's upturned arse. 

Sherlock's head was spinning. In a split second he had gone from shouting at John to being over his lap and receiving what was possibly the spanking of his lifetime. There was no warm-up, just an immediate dive in.The smacks were harsh and unrelenting and he quickly found himself grinding his teeth and kicking out his legs. It stung fiercely, and only grew worse with every swat. He had forgotten just how bad these were. 

There was no sound save for the continuing *smack*. No arguing, no lecturing. It seemed this spanking was to make up for each one missed the last three years. 

No matter how hard he tried to hold his tongue, Sherlock was soon driven into short yelps. John paused, and Sherlock foolishly thought it was over. Instead, John hooked his thumbs into the waistband of both his trousers and pants, yanking them to his knees in one motion. His arse was a flushed pale pink, all the way down to the tops of his thighs.The cool air gave him short-lived relief before John's hand once again came crashing down. 

The noise was much more crisp and the pain just as well. Sherlock was now kicking in earnest, his vision blurring with hot tears. A tiny sob escaped his lips before he could bite it back. John's hand stilled, halfway in air. He considered ending the spanking at this point. Sherlock's arse had now turned a bright rosy color. 

Sherlock scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand and mumbled two words. "Don't stop." 

He didn't even know he was going to say those words until he opened his mouth. Despite the throbbing pain and his damned tearful reaction, the whole spanking was deeply cathartic. He had missed this special relationship terribly, and found he needed it the way humans need oxygen. He had been choking for three years. 

John hesitated. His own hand stung from delivering the spanking, and he that was only a drop in the bucket to what Sherlock must be feeling. The pitiful beg to not stop made him realize just how necessary this was for Sherlock. He sighed and brought his hand down again in a sharp swat, continuously having to remind himself that Sherlock needed this. 

Sherlock yelped louder and louder, hiding his tear-stained face into his crossed arms. He tried to hold back his wriggling, but his own body wouldn't comply. The color of his arse traveled from the previous pink to bright, painful crimson. 

John knew it was time to stop when the broken sobs melted into one long cry. It had been the harshest spanking he'd ever received, even longer than the time Sherlock had stolen his gun and chased down a criminal. 

John caressed Sherlock's shoulders and guided him from lying across his lap to gently being seated on it. Sherlock dug his face into the crook of John's neck, weeping quietly. He repeated only one word, "John". 

"John" as he clung tight to his jumper. 

"John" as he settled deeper into his warm embrace.

"John" as he couldn't find it in him to say anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, thanks for reading! I just got the idea for this fic last night, and finally found the time to write today. It's felt like ages since I've written, and it feels amazing to get back into it!
> 
>  
> 
> Check out the incredible fanart that ArtofOtk created for this fic! 
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/13575288/chapters/31157292?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_148223067


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